Stacey Abrams is a nationally recognized voting rights activist, bestselling author and former member of the Georgia House of Representatives. Abrams, who previously shared the 10 steps toward authoritarianism, is now laying out the 10 steps to freedom and power.
Abrams visited the Circle City as the keynote speaker for the Indianapolis Urban League’s 2026 Equal Opportunity Day luncheon at the Indiana Convention Center on June 23, 2026.
Abrams said views on American democracy, and whether it is heading toward autocracy, are changing.
“I think more and more people are understanding what we face, but our responsibility is to continue to spread the word,” Abrams said. “When people don’t feel the direct and immediate impact of political change, they tend to discount it, not because they don’t want to know, but because they simply don’t understand how to process it.”
With the 10 Steps campaign, she aims to “connect the dots” to show what authoritarianism looks like in American lives and how to counter it.
“It looks like SNAP benefits being cut. It looks like your kids not getting school lunches. And so, it’s really about making sure people understand the practical reality of authoritarianism,” Abrams said.
What comes next is telling people what they can do about it.
“It’s insufficient to tell people there’s a problem if you do not give them solutions.”
~ Stacey Abrams
“It’s insufficient to tell people there’s a problem if you do not give them solutions,” Abrams said. “And so, the 10 Steps campaign is not just about ‘here’s what’s broken,’ but here’s what we not only do to fix it, but to demand what we need on the other side.”
To demand is one of Abrams’ 10 Steps to Freedom and Power, which she shared before the crowd of more than 1,400 people in attendance. Leading attendees in a call-and-response, Abram presented the other action steps including: commit, engage, litigate, share, mobilize, organize, disrupt, deny, and elect. People can navigate the 10 Steps website to develop their own action plan. But, according to Abrams, it takes more than singular action, it takes coordinated effort across multiple organizations and sectors.
“So, we have more than 75 organizational partners who represent more than 50 million Americans in the aggregate … We have representation from across communities of color, across disability communities,” Abrams said. “The goal is to say that if there are 10 steps to freedom and power, it’s going to take all of us working together, and we serve as a wayfinder. We help aggregate those organizations, connect them to resources, but we also connect the average person who wants to know what to do to those organizations. And we started with … the big ones, but now we’re working very intentionally on pulling in smaller organizations, because we know that for many communities, it’s not the organization that has 1,000 members, it’s the organization that’s 10 people, but if those 10 people are dedicated to freedom, we can win.”
Prior to the most recent presidential election, women leaders such as Abrams, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris were vocal about what was at stake for American democracy, but many people were not receptive of their alerts. When asked how to ensure that women’s voices are heard, Abrams simply said, “Elect women.”
“When women are in power … everyone benefits.”
~ Stacey Abrams
She added, “When women are in power, when they are not only given a platform, but given and allowed to hold power, everyone benefits. We see it particularly when it’s women of color, and that’s because the people closest to the pain should be closest to the power … And every time we’ve done that in every nation-state, every community where women, especially women of color, have been positioned to take action and resourced to do so, we have often seen the benefits were down to everyone.”
Abrams’ keynote address covered DEI, voting rights, access to power and the lasting legacy of her father, Rev. Robert Abrams, who died just days prior to the event.
Ahead of Abrams’ speech, the Indianapolis Urban League presented awards and honors to the following:
- 2026 Entrepreneurship Center Program Small Business of the Month Owners
- Workforce Development Program Honorees
- Education Matters Scholarship for Adult Leaners Awards
- The Exchange at the Indianapolis Urban League Leadership Fellows
- Education Matters Scholarship for College Students Awards
- Project Ready Program Scholarship Awards
- Wiley Community Champion Scholarship
- The Burke, Dabner, Rodman Family Scholarship Program Recipient
Indianapolis Urban League President and CEO Anthony R. Mason recognized Abrams with an award for her contribution to community empowerment and civic engagement.
For more information on Abrams’ 10 Steps Campaign, visit 10stepscampaign.org. To learn more about the Indianapolis Urban League, visit indplsul.org.
Contact Editor-in-Chief Camike Jones at 317-762-7850.
Camike Jones is the Editor-in-Chief of the Indianapolis Recorder. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Jones has a lifelong commitment to advocacy and telling stories that represent the community.
